You may believe our leaders have helped the nuclear intentions of a rogue nation

Does that about cover it for today? And you are wondering how the Bible could possibly address any of that. It does!

Before Time Began

A great antidote for uncertainty is certainty. The cure for fast-paced change is that which never changes. And the Bible does address those things. Is the world uncertain and changing faster than we can keep up? Yes. Should we be in a stir over it? Only if we choose to be. In today’s jargon, the following truths from the Bible are great life hacks for being at peace!

Life Hacks in the Bible

At some point not known to us, God created the heavenly beings (angels, cherubim, etc.). Job 38:7 tells us they witnessed God creating the heavens and the earth.

At that point, Ephesians 3:11 tells us God’s purpose was already known! How? It is an eternal purpose. It hasn’t changed and won’t change. Ephesians 1:10 describes His purpose as bringing:

Unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

That’s enough to let any of us know God is not, nor has He ever been, surprised. He has never had an Aha! moment. But God does more than we can ask or imagine and the Bible is proof of that. It tells us God’s eternal purpose had planning and forethought. There was a lot going on before time began! The Bible reveals to us:

Bible Life-Hack 1: From I Peter 1:20, Jesus’ mission was set before the foundation of the world:

He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Bible Life-Hack 2: From Titus 1:2, God promised eternal life before time began:

In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

Bible Life-Hack 3: From I Corinthians 2:7, the Gospel is God’s mystery that He also planned before time began:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.

Bible Life-Hack 4: 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us God’s offer of grace was given before the world began:

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Bible Life-Hack 5: Pauls writes in Ephesians 1:4 that believers were chosen in Jesus Christ before the world began:

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Yes, the world is an uncertain, scary place. But we don’t have to get run over by it! We can live in uncertain times because we are certain His plans and His purposes not only won’t change, they will be accomplished.

You have been given everything you need! That’s not just a statement. It’s a promise. How do I know? As we saw yesterday, our Father cannot lie. In Ephesians 1 we read:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Those grammar lessons were important! Our blessings are set in the past tense: He hasblessed us… How much has He given? Every spiritual blessing. That’s true but too big for us to fully grasp. What’s God’s answer? He has filled His Word with specific expressions (promises) of this truth.

Resource for Renewal

So far, we’ve established the following:

God cannot lie

Apart from Him I/we can’t do anything

I/we have already been given everything we need

The implications are huge, and humbling. God takes people who can’t do anything on their own and gives them everything they need. He is incredibly good! How else could you describe what we have been given? Notice:

He Who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it

Without faith it is impossible to please Him – Hebrews 11 – He has expectations!

He is the Author and Finisher of our faith – Hebrews 12 – He equips us to meet His expectations!

He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1

His intention is for us to have an abundant life – John 10

We are created for good works – Ephesians 2

He created the good works ahead of time so we could do them – Ephesians 2

He doesn’t change – He’s always the same – Hebrews 13

We can do all things in His strength – Philippians 4

This is a tiny fraction of what our Father has promised us. And did I mention His Word never returns without accomplishing His purposes? His Word carries promise, power, and provision. His Word renews and empowers us.

The Question

How different would the world be if all Christians acted on all the Lord’s promises? Maybe that’s too broad. How different would your life be if you acted on all God’s promises? Any difference, in either case, proves we have problems believing. I encourge you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2). Believe and act on God’s great resources, His promises.

The Poem

Since our Father is the ultimate Promise Keeper, we should try to be like Him. As I mentioned in the first post, Mission: Hope volunteers keep promises in many places. And that’s possible because of the promises you keep! Many of you have promised to pray for and support this ministry in various ways. Whatever our role, part of Robert Frost’s classic poem is fitting:

I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.

Inheritance, reward, and peace are words that come to mind regarding Pastor Alberto. And when a believer meets their Savior face to face, it is good for us who remain to examine words like these. Pastor Alberto reached the end of his battle with cancer. I got that news this afternoon from two other pastors in the Dominican Republic. Since many have been praying for Alberto it is fitting to share this news.

Reward

Yes, I started in the middle. That’s partly because rewardwas the first thought that crossed my mind when I read the emails about Pastor Alberto. And the term reward is one of God’s very early Self-descriptions. It comes to us in Genesis 15:1. God gave this word to Abraham. And this divine Self-revelation was meant to build Abraham’s courage. That’s evident from God’s opening command, Fear not. Did you know that’s the most common command in Scripture?

Fear is a human problem. And I am sure my friend Alberto had his moments. But whatever his fears may have been, Alberto is now experiencing what it means for our eternal God to be our exceedingly great reward. For us, it’s still a matter of faith.

Inheritance

According to Ephesians 1:11-12, Christ is every believer’s inheritance. Pastor Alberto now knows that joy as well. And it occurs to me to address an important thought for all the ladies.

Ephesians 1:5 is one place where believers are addressed as sons. Many in our society tend to flinch at that kind of language. That’s because they don’t know the truth. Only sons were eligible for inheritance according to Jewish law and practice. So when Paul wrote that we (all believers) have received adoption as sons, he was spreading great news. No one would be left. And if that’s not enough to make the case, just take a look at Galatians 3:28.

Alberto was and is a son. And I can only imagine wealth of his inheritance. He worked hard to learn and serve. The memories of him asking questions class, serving his church, and working alongside our mission teams will stay with me until I see him again.

Peace

The common thought is Alberto is now at peace. That’s true. But you might see another truth woven into these Scripture references. And that truth is helps us make a fine distinction. That truth is:

Jesus doesn’t have all we need, He IS all we need.

Jesus is peace according to Ephesians 2:14. He isour reward. And He is our inheritance. Furthermore, He is our righteousness, our sacrifice, and much more. Are you seeing it?

We do not think highly enough of our Savior unless we see all that He is for us, not just what He has. And distinctions like this were often the subjects of class discussion. I always enjoy pushing the thought boundaries either here, preaching, or in class. And Alberto was always willing to engage the discussion and allow his boundaries to be pushed.

Alberto is at peace and he has met his Peace. But a task remains for us.

Family

Alberto’s father & Hortencia

I am sure Alberto had questions and fears about his family. And we knew back in October that we might be looking at trying to help his wife, Hortencia, and their family in his absence. That’s where we are. So please pray for them. The links in the previous posts about Alberto are still good. And if you want to help at anytime just let me know. Donations can be handled and put in the hands of Alberto’s family.

So maybe Inheritance, Reward & Peace will add a little depth to your celebrations of our Savior’s birth. After all, He came so we could know that He is all that and infinitely more!

Psalm 43 has been our blueprint for dealing with the divided heart. The previous post left us waiting to see the steps necessary to conquer a divided heart. The prayer of the Psalmist is quite insightful. So let’s learn from him how to deal with a problem we all deal with. We begin with verse 3. And it serves as a request anda confession!

Divided Heart Needs Light & Truth

The Psalmist asked God to Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Why? Because he recognized he was in the dark. He knew he was finite while God is infinite. He had confessed God as his refuge, yet he still felt forsaken and rejected. But he knew that God does not reject those who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30 says,

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Even so, he felt abandoned and alone. He knew that spiritual darkness caused him to be blinded to certain things. So he asked for divine light and truth. This is the way Paul prayed for us, in Ephesians 1:18,

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you.

The eyes of the heart — these eyes need spiritual light. Spiritual lights comes from God the Father. And light is part and parcel of His person and nature. Psalm 104 says He clothes Himself with light as a garment.

My Divided Heart: Biblical Rx

The psalmist was praying for spiritual light, not physical light. Physical light helps physical eyes see physical reality. Spiritual light lets spiritual eyes — the eyes of the heart — see spiritual reality. And when we see spiritual reality we are amazed by its beauty. So he is praying that God would rescue him from something far more dangerous than his physical enemies. He sought rescue from the spiritual darkness that causes our fallen world to look attractive. At this point we should remember Isaiah’s vision. Chapter 6 tells us that when Isaiah saw God high and lifted up (spiritual light!!!) he immediately recognized the darkness in him and the people around him. Check it out!

Truth Heals A Divided Heart

O God, he prays, send me light. He adds “truth” because this is what you see when light comes. Truth is what’s real and spiritual light reveals it. It’s as if he said, Send light to my soul. Let me see the true substance and reality of things. Take all illusions away from me. What kind of illusions need to be gone?

It’s sometimes easier to deal with objective truth. We can see the pros and the cons. It’s possible for us weigh things in the balance, so to speak. But that typically addresses misconceptions or misinformation. And truth frees us from those things. But illusions can exist in our emotions, and they can be a little more difficult to deal with.

The divided heart is typically divided along the lines of what we know and what we feel. That is the Psalmist’s predicament. His prayer was way ahead of the knowledge of modern psychology. Psychologists have long told us that our feelings (emotions) follow our beliefs and actions. They could have learned that from this prayer. When we traffic in truth our feelings may lag behind but they will come around. So we should be very intent to ask for divine insight and truth. Because the Author of Truth is the One Who sets us free by His truth!

More help for the divided heart in the next post!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Vibrant faith is necessary for daily living. It’s also a necessity for ministry. And faith is a subject we often overthink! Two critical examples are found in Acts 2. So please go with me to see simple steps to faithful living and effective ministry.

Faith: Hear & See

The first element of faith is for the believer. There were 120 believers who waited in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was poured out on them in a pattern that is instructive. Notice what is recorded in Acts 2:2 ~

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

What God says to us

These believers heard the Spirit. You and I must do the same thing. As believers, we already have the Spirit living within us. But we must listen. When we hear Him, we must act on what He tells us. That action is the confirmation of our faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God.

After they heard the Spirit, they saw what looked like flaming tongues of fire hovering over each of them. For this discussion, we will only deal with the order in which these events happened. Why? Because that order is how we must live. And it’s not more complicated than hearing then acting (the action is the visible part).

Now, just because the process is not complicated doesn’t mean it’s free of difficulty! The very nature of faith requires unknown elements. When God speaks we either act in obedience or we fail to act (no faith; disobedience). This hear-and-see pattern is a little vague here in Acts 2. If it weren’t for the balance of the chapter, and seeing this pattern many other places in Scripture, we couldn’t address it from Acts 2.

Clarity

How does Scripture define faith? The most quoted definition comes from Hebrews. And I am sure you will recognize it:

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

Believers are to walk by faith. That means we are to ‘see’ what we believe. When we hear the voice of God through His Word or by His Spirit, we take that word as reality. We act on it. Paul said it this way in Ephesians 1:18 ~

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

To know hope is to see the unknown as reality! Faith always contains unknowns. Even so, our calling is to believe Him anyway and trust Him for the unknowns. That’s how we live our lives. But is that the way we do ministry?

Faith: See & Hear

It’s different for the unbelieving world. When the 120 disciples departed that upper room the crowd of unbelievers could see something different about them. There was power in their words. The Spirit enabled every person to hear them in his own language. And it was this unbelieving crowd that Peter addressed in his sermon (see Acts 2). But notice the pattern of events!

The crowd saw the Spirit at work in the 120 disciples before Peter preached. In other words, for the crowd it was a case of see-an-hear. That is also instructive for us. What is our task? We are to make disciples of all nations. For that to happen the Gospel must be proclaimed everywhere to everyone.

What makes people want to listen to what we have to say? The Gospel is presented through demonstration and declaration. Our greatest effectiveness is when the two go together. People are much more likely to retain what they see and hear.

And let’s not forget to look at this from the viewpoint of the crowd outside your church. Why should they want a ‘power’ that doesn’t enable you love someone very different than yourself? Why should they seek a Savior whose followers are prejudiced against ________ , ________ , and _________ . (You fill in the blanks)

That matters a great deal. Why? Because we have to ask them to move from believing what they can see to seeing what they believe. That’s hard enough as it is. It’s even harder without a good example to follow!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Do you have the Christian reading problem? Don’t know what that is? I am sure you don’t think you have the problem. But years of teaching God’s people says there is a problem. We look but don’t see. Our familiarity with Scripture bypasses what I call the kid response. We raised five children and now have eight grandchildren. What do children always ask? Why do we stop asking questions when we read the Bible?

Mastering Manhood: The Why Questions

In the previous post, I said we would begin this series by examining the only perfect Father. What did He do? What did He say? And, why did He say it? Here is the Scripture list from the previous post:

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.Isaiah 42:1

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!Matthew 17:5 (Mark 9:7 & Luke 9:35)

For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 2 Peter 1:17

To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.Ephesians 1:6

In order to get the most from the questions, we need to remind ourselves of some basic facts:

Jesus was God in human form

Jesus was/is perfect

Jesus was/is eternal

Jesus lacks nothing

Our perfect, complete Father said to His perfect, complete Son, This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased. Why was that necessary? We can’t say it wasn’t necessary because it is included in God’s Word. That fact alone means it was necessary, but: Why?

Was there a need for the Father to say this? Was there a need for the Son to hear it? Experience tells me people often fail to ask probing questions as they read or study Scripture. Trust me, we will never insult God by asking questions. He is more than capable of withstanding the scrutiny. In fact, exploring questions is how we grow deeper in our faith.

So let me leave this Mastering Manhoodpost right there – so you can wrestle with the questions on your own. I’ll share some thoughts in the next post in this series. I hope you’ll engage the questions and share your thoughts in the comments section below. Who knows? Your comments may help and encourage others!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Ever had your bubble burst? The hope, expectation, anticipation and excitement all reached a climax and suddenly, “Poof,” it’s gone! I remember talking to a girl in my ninth grade class. She knew I wanted to talk about the upcoming Sweetheart Banquet at my church. She expected, though I was unaware, I would ask her to the event. She wanted me to do that. To her dismay, I actually asked her if she thought her best friend would go with me were I to ask. Sound like ninth grade? Sound like someone’s bubble burst? Would you believe she attended the banquet with my best friend? Would you believe she married me anyway? Yes, I am blessed in spite of myself!

I’m pretty sure we were married before she told me what I had done. What a dope! I didn’t intend to burst her bubble, I was just afflicted with a terminal case of adolescence. Today, I intend to burst some misconception “bubbles.”

Eph. 1:4c-6 In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

We think about adoption and our mind’s eye sees a cute child from a TV commercial and our heart goes out to them. We then project this same thought process onto God. He must have adopted me because I’m so….. God really did a good thing when He chose me because I am so…. We have a great propensity to make things ‘all about me.’ Let me burst your bubble: it’s never been about you. It has always been all about Him!God is jealous for His glory and He shares it with no one. You and I were not adorable, disadvantaged orphans. Romans 5:6-10 says,

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

See the underlined words. The Lord adopted ungodly sinners and enemies. Forget the cute face of the kid in the commercial. Picture adopting someone who was directly responsible for the death of your only child! That is exactly what God did for you and me and it has nothing to do with our worthiness. My unworthiness exalts His worthiness. Only He can reconcile sinners with the Sinless, ungodly with the Holy, and hate-filled rebels with the One Who is God’s Beloved! It’s all testimony of His greatness and glory. And this is why it’s all about Him: Only He could love you and me enough to do all that! Let that be your ‘bubble,’ because that bubble will never burst!

Asaph built a legacy. His legacy, and ours if we accept the challenge, is rooted in Asaph’s final 6 confessions.

1. The Confession of Presence (v. 23)

Asaph says, I am continually with You. But that’s not enough. When he says, You have taken hold of my right hand, he is confessing God’s presence with him. Presence is mutual: I am with You, You are with me.

2. The Confession of Counsel (v. 24)

God’s Word was Asaph’s guide. He didn’t view it as good suggestions. The Word guided him because he obeyed it. And obedience to the Word has a future reward. The wicked get their reward here and now. Asaph’s reward was later, eternal, and worth waiting for.

3. Confession of Desire (v. 25)

The Greatest Commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s instructional to note that Asaph did not say, What have I in heaven but You? Asaph’s first thought wasn’t about golden streets, emerald crowns, or palaces of ivory. Whom have I…? He desired the Lord. That desire gave him perspective about the things of earth, I desire nothing on earth. In comparison to God, nothing here is noteworthy.

4. Confession of Inheritance (v. 26)

Asaph acknowledged human frailty. We will die. My heart and my flesh may fail, BUT God…. Two magnificent words! God is greater than our frailties. He is Conqueror over death. And He is the portion (inheritance) of all who believe. Ephesians 1 says believers are Christ’s inheritance. It also says He is our inheritance. In the Old Testament (Numbers 18), God does not allow the priests to have an inheritance in the land. HE is their portion, their inheritance. It is the same for those mentioned in I Peter 2:9, You are a chosen generation, and royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

5. Confession of Judgment (v. 27)

God will judge sin and sinners. It will be in His time and His way, but it will happen.

6. Confession of Proclamation (v. 28)

Ever notice how easily grandparents talk about grandchildren? What we love just leaks out of us. The nearness of God is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge. What happens after that? I will tell of all Your works!